Honestly, when I read this book in 1982 or so it changed the trajectory of my life and career. It is an story of a bet-the-business project that occurred in real life. After reading I though I was late to the tech party, missed out on so much, and yet, here we are, 45 years later with incredible advancements and a career I couldn't have imagined. Tracy Kidder was a gem of an individual, just a wonderful person who was truly interested in others. I hope you'll read the book soon.
During a trip to Venice I had the good fortune of touring http://www.giuman.it/ and it was highly educational. Bringing the furnaces up to temperature takes time and turning them off each day isn't a good option. Gas comes primarily from Russia and price spikes have really hurt the business.
Second this. My father passed suddenly and the recordings we made a year before while looking at newly digitized family movies are a treasure. I get to hear his voice. Mom passed 30 years ago and I have some speeches she gave recorded, but it isn't the same.
Yep. I converted a business from to Postgres in 2004 and never looked back. Stable, reliable, no surprises. Postgres is the answer until proven otherwise.
There was a similar journey for our family after our parents passed and indeed, the photos with people doing ordinary things are the ones we share and enjoy. The Grand Canyon has a way of looking the same now as it did in 1955 and so those photos were discarded. Five boxes of photo albums were examined and the photos to keep were cut out and sent to be digitized organized by year and topic. I am glad someone wrote about their experience and the tips that come from having spent examining a life well photographed.
I'd recommend Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. It covers the trials and tribulations as well as the brilliance and ruthless tactics taken to build Standard Oil.
Thanks for the story about your friend Geof. It was touching and made this archive just that much more valuable. Hope you have a few more good memories today.
If you have an interest in FRC, consider becoming a mentor at a local program in your area. I've mentored Team 812 in La Jolla California for about 14 years. It's incredibly rewarding.